James Potter and the Legacy
by AthenaAsh13
Summary: Harry Potter's prophecy is completed. His life is now pretty...normal, but his son's journey is just beginning. James's battle begins.


Keep in mind: In this story, Albus, Lily, and James are triplets. James is the eldest, followed by Albus, followed by Lily. Also, Rose and Hugo (Seth) are twins. I know this is non-cannon, but it will become important to have all five in the same year. Sorry.

James Potter and the Legacy

Chapter One

It was a bright, but calm Thursday morning…well, not exactly. Contrary to popular belief, the Potter household wasn't exactly all that calm. With three children to care for and a husband off on the front lines of crime, Ginny Potter was not exactly stress-free. When you'd combined the fact that all the Potter family's friends and family were almost constantly at the estate, Ginny was wonder-woman. Her ability to care for numerous children at one time was extremely admirable.

And it was at the early morning hours of Thursday, September first in this hectic household that James Potter found himself in the middle of this hectic household, struggling to wake up as the throws of a nightmare kept him locked in his dreams.

James Potter was not a very interesting boy. In fact, he believed himself the most uninteresting boy the wizarding world had ever seen, but when you had a dad like Harry Potter to compare yourself to…well, let's just say your self-esteem level doesn't exactly shoot through the roof.

However, eleven-year-old James did have some things to be proud of. For one thing, he had his parents: his father, savior of the wizarding world and the man who defeated Lord Voldemort, and his mother, former captain of the Holyhead Harpies and current part-time assistant for Madam Hooch, who taught all first years at Hogwarts how to ride a broom and refereed almost all Quidditch games. For another, he had his family, a mischievous brother everyone seemed to dote on and a little sister with the world at her fingertips, in addition to his father's godson, Teddy Lupin, a seventh year at Hogwarts and future dragon-tamer, much to James's cousin, Victoire's, dismay; and he had his mother's side of the family, including his dad's best friends: Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, two of the famous battle-worn soldiers of Wizard War II.

As for himself, James prided himself on being a brave young boy with a curiosity for the outside world that just couldn't be satisfied. He loved both the magical and Muggle worlds and was extremely adventurous. He was also very independent. He liked to figure things out for himself and hated putting others in danger. He was very protective of both his family and friends and hated when they felt hurt or threatened.

James was also special. He was an extremely powerful young wizard, based on his previous bouts of accidental magic. James also often had control over these bursts of power and had even been able to practice a little wandless magic…but his parents didn't know _that_. Only his cousins, Rose and Seth (who hated the name Hugo despite his father's insistence); his sister, Lily; his brother, Albus; and his surrogate older brother, Teddy, knew that. Teddy took a little bit of convincing so he wouldn't tell his Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, but eventually came around.

It was four thirty in the morning when James finally escaped from the darkness of sleep, bolting upright as the fears of a man with a black dragon and a scary tattoo on the left side of his neck escaped his mind, leaving him breathless.

James had battled these dreams for as long as he could remember. It was as though he was going through someone else's dreams of the future. He knew it was not himself, but someone trying to subconsciously give him a message. But these weren't the only dreams he had that were not his own. He also had visions of a young girl, crying in a tiny basement, surrounded by gray walls, pleading for help. James sincerely believed that it was this girl who had these dreams and was for some reason calling out to him for help.

James covered his head with the pillow, desperately wishing for more sleep, but knowing the idea was inconceivable. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a blue polo before yanking his trainers over his feet, cringing slightly at how tight they were. Thank God his mom had bought him new trainers for school; these were painful. James turned off his alarm, knowing it was no longer necessary, and grabbed flashlight, ready to head outside. He crept down the stairs silently, lucky as always as he passed his sleeping parents' room, and creaked the back door open, stealthily sneaking out of the house before running full-speed toward his spot.

When James was only five years old, he had escaped from the house and gone wandering, leaving his parents in complete shock as they tried unsuccessfully to find their oldest son and keep track of the younger two at the same time. He had found the meadow, specifically the old apple tree, while wandering and had attempted to climb the tall and intimidating tree. After many scrapes and bruises, he succeeded and it had been his spot ever since.

Often times, especially after these dreams he believed he shared with the broken and scarred girl, he would venture out to the meadow once more and climb the apple tree and just look up into the sky. Though he believed it naïve and philosophical, he couldn't help but wish that perhaps the dream-sharer was outside doing the same thing.

And it was for this reason that James found himself eating an apple and leaning back against the trunk of the tree until six thirty in the morning when he decided he had best return before his parents woke up. James replayed this dream's information and implanted the symbol of the tattoo in his mind, saving it for later pondering. He grabbed one more apple off the tree and turned on the flashlight, making his way back through the forest to his home.

Sneaking into the house, James looked around nervously to make sure his mother hadn't spotted him again. Two weeks ago, James had gone to the tree only to return to his mother panicking because of his absence. She demanded to know where he had gone and why he hadn't left a note, but James simply responded that he had gone for a walk because he couldn't sleep. His mum was doubtful, but accepted his answer, warning him to "at least leave a note next time" else he "worry her to death."

James was lucky to find that his mother was still fast asleep in her room and instead crept up the stairs to finish packing for his departure to Hogwarts for his first year. He had a distinct feeling that something was going to happen when he left for Hogwarts. Things for the Auror Corps had been really slow lately which only concreted his beliefs.

The insightful young first year went around his room, packing his last minute things like the Transfiguration textbook he'd read last night and the jumper from the family dinner at the Burrow last night. He picked up his alarm clock and tucked into the corner of the trunk before putting his wand in his right pocket. Jumpy and anxious, James headed downstairs and hunted through the fridge for a Diet Coke. Once more thankful to his father for introducing the family to American Muggle soda, he happily drank in the caffeine and sat down on the couch in the living room, kicking his feet up onto the arm of it and putting his hands under his head. James closed his eyes and tried to sleep again, but thoughts of the broken girl and the black and familiar tattoo invaded his mind, dancing behind his eyes, as he attempted to achieve ignorant bliss.

"James Sirius Potter! What in the name of Merlin are you doing up so early?" James heard the imitation of his mother and his head snapped around, only to see Lily, laughing her bum off.

"Sorry, Jamesie, but I couldn't resist," Lily giggled.

"You're lucky you're my favorite little sister."

"I'm your _only_ little sister…and I'm only like five minutes younger than you!"

"Point taken. Would you prefer I levitate you five feet in the air?" James questioned, opening one eye to look at her. Lily wrinkled her nose and shook her head, heading over to the fridge to ruffle around for the gallon of milk.

"You ready to head to King's Cross? Or do you still have to pack more?" Lily questioned him, reaching for a glass on the top shelf. Her hand came just short and she looked at James desperately. He looked at the glass and directed it down to her hand with his eyes. "Thanks."

"No problem. I was up really early so I already packed. What about you?"

"Same. I think Albus's OCD got to all of us." James laughed a little.

"What time are Mum and Dad gonna apparate us over to the station?"

"I was thinking they said they were going to apparate us to Diagon Alley around ten thirty. We're meeting Rose, Seth, and the others at the Leaky Cauldron and we're all walking over to King's Cross together. So what did you think of the Transfiguration textbook? Albus seemed to think the concepts were slightly more difficult than the Potions book."

"I thought it was a ton more simple than the Divination stuff. What in the name of Merlin's pants is the purpose of predicting possible gloom and doom?" James questioned.

"Hey, I don't see the purpose of Divination either," Lily said, hands up. "I think if you're a seer, you're a seer, but if you're not…well, you're not exactly gonna become the next Cassandra overnight."

"I think that Divination is a load of dragon dung," Albus volunteered, coming down the stairs quickly and nicking Lily's glass of milk for a sip before handing it back to her. Lily glared at him for a second, looking extremely disapproving, before drinking the rest of her glass. "What?" he asked innocently and Lily just shook her head as James laughed silently.

"So Al, I hear you liked Potions? Even with Professors Snape _and_ Damien teaching it?"

"We've never met Professor Damien," he reminded them. "The stories could be exaggerated."

"Teddy _himself_ said that Damien was a self-righteous, greasy slime ball, much like Dad's earliest opinions of Deputy Headmaster and Potions Professor Snape!" Lily complained.

"And Angelie said that he took points off the wrong houses for nothing…just like Snape, but Damien's worse." James pointed out.

"And Carter said that he's given more detentions than any other teacher in the entire history of Hogwarts!" Lily added.

"Of course you _would_ trust what _Carter_ said," Albus rolled his eyes, but Lily didn't even bat an eye.

"Are you implying that Carter was trying to sweet-talk me? I'm only eleven!"

"He's fourteen almost," Albus said. "And you didn't seem to mind at all."

"Prat! I was not letting Carter sweet-talk me and I most certainly do not like him, if that's what you're implying!"

"I never said anything, Lily, you're just putting words in my mouth," Albus teased.

"Albus Severus Potter, I swear to _Godric _that if you say one more…"

"That's enough, Al," Harry Potter said, coming down the stairs, hunting for coffee. "Quit trying to pester your sister."

"But it's true! Carter Simmons is nothing but a…"

"You're just mad because I let him go with me to Sam's with me."

"No," Albus said, but his argument was weak and he shrunk a little bit.

"Would you rather I tell Sam about your little crush? Let's see…where's the phone number for Miss Samantha Cooke? I know it's around here somewhere…"

"I do not have a crush on Sam!"

"That's enough, kids," Harry reminded them. "I gotta get to work real quick before we head off to the station. Tell your mum when she comes down that I'll be back before it's time to leave."

"Sure thing, Dad," James said. Harry smiled at his son and kissed his daughter on the top of the head before ruffling Albus's hair.

"Your mum should be down in a minute. She's not feeling too well right now so try to be good. I'll see you kids in a half hour," Harry said, grabbing the cup of coffee.

"Bye, Dad!" the three chorused and their dad disapparated.

Lily "harrumphed" and sat on the couch, crossing her arms and continuing to glare at her brother.

"Unbelievable!" Ginny muttered under her breath excitedly. "St. Mungo's…gotta call Hermione…oh, good Godric! Mum's going to have a fit! At my age…"

"Mum!" James said. "Dad wanted us to tell you that he had to head off to the Ministry for a half hour, but he'll be back in time to take us to Diagon Alley."

"Um…change of plans, kids," Ginny smiled at them. "I gotta pop over to Aunt Hermione's for a minute. Do you wanna come through the Floo and visit with Rose and Seth for a bit?"

"Sure, Mum. Why?" Lily asked.

"Oh, I just gotta talk to Aunt Mione about something really quickly," Ginny said, setting the laundry basket down on the coffee table and flicking her wand at it. Immediately, the clothes began folding themselves.

"Is it about the Department of Mysteries stuff?" Lily questioned innocently.

"Lily, don't mention that in public!" Ginny reproached. Lily looked around theatrically.

"Mum, there's no one here but us," Lily said calmly, but Ginny still looked worried. "Honestly, I don't understand why it's so important."

"Lily, it is a matter of national security! A matter of _magical_ security in general! You can't go spouting off about…"

"Mum, calm down," James said. "Are you okay? You're really uptight this morning."

Ginny smiled at him and the twinkle in her eyes returned. "Yes, I'm fine. Are you three ready to go? Or do I have to wait for a mad dash for you to finish packing?" she asked.

"We're all packed," Albus said.

"I'll go get my trunk," Lily said, smiling. It was just beginning to dawn on the three that they were _actually going to Hogwarts_!

James and Albus followed in suit and seconds later, they were stepping into the fireplace.

"Skyline Estate!" James declared after both his siblings Flooed and his mother disapparated. He disappeared with his pet owl, Godric, and his trunk in a flash of green light and smoke.

He stumbled out of the grate ungracefully when he reappeared in the Weasley estate, almost knocking over a trunk in the process. Lily giggled and Seth guffawed. Rose, on the other hand, shook her head but hugged him nonetheless.

"Are you _ever_ going to figure out how to come out of a Floo correctly? Or are you always going to come out like Uncle Harry?" Rose questioned him.

"Nope," Albus commented and Lily smacked him on the back of the head, looking at him disapprovingly. "What?" Seth laughed but after a dirty look from his twin, he quieted. James just grinned and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, much like his father.

"Hermione, I need to talk to you for a minute," Ginny told her best girl friend and Hermione nodded.

"Of course," she said before looking at her kids. "Behave."

"Would we do anything less?" Seth and Albus questioned innocently.

Seth and Albus were well known to be rivals of both the Weasley twins _and_ the Marauders. Their pranks and mischief were unparalleled and unprecedented. Once, George and Ron unknowingly started a prank war with the two creative marauders and ended up with pink and green hair for months and nothing but silver and green robes to wear for over a year. Hermione and Ginny had to work for three days constantly on reversing the pranks and were amazed to find out that two unschooled eight-year-old mischief-makers had completed the complicated spell work.

Ginny sighed and Hermione shook her head before the two ex-soldiers of the Light disappeared up the stairs, trying desperately to rid themselves of thoughts about how much trouble the five could get themselves into.

"Has it hit you guys yet?" Rose asked. "We're _actually_ going to Hogwarts!"

"I know!" Lily exclaimed. "It's amazing!"

Seth and Albus just grinned and James shrugged. "I'm just glad we're finally going. I wanna see some real magic. Mum and Dad hardly ever use a lot of magic around the house anymore because they don't like using it for every single little thing. They like doing things the Muggle way. Mum says it keeps things interesting and shows that we're not prejudiced. I just wanna learn some real magic and not be told that I have to "wait till I'm older" anymore."

Lily pouted. "That's just because _you've_ been able to use magic since you were yay big," she said, using her hand to explain. James shrugged again.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Modest as always."

"Mum complains about him being almost as bad as Dad," Lily offered.

"Aw, come on, guys, can we _please_ change the subject?" James pleaded quietly.

Albus and Seth were muttering quietly to each other, ignoring the other conversation.

"What are you two up to now?" Rose asked with her arms crossed. They looked at her innocently. "Don't tell me you have a prank planned for the feast tonight," she pleaded.

"Oh, come on, Rosie. Live a little," Albus said. "A little mischief makes the world a better place."

"Don't call me 'Rosie,'" snapped Rose. "And Mum's gonna kill you," Rose defended herself. "She'll send you a howler!"

"Rose, don't worry about it. They're right. Don't be such a worrywart. While I don't exactly approve of constant mischief," Lily said, glaring at the two who held up their hands in defeat, "One or two pranks will never hurt anybody."

"But…"

"But nothing, Rose," James said, slinging his arm over her shoulders. "They're right. Besides, Granddad James and Teddy's dad and Dad's godfather used to cause all kinds of mischief and people loved it Rose. Think of it this way: they're just living up to their memories. If someone doesn't keep the memories of the original Marauders alive, who will?"

Rose huffed in defeat, but grudgingly accepted. "All right." The Prank-tastic Duo grinned. "But _no_ pink hair for me, _please_."

"No problem, sis," Seth said. The five sat on the couches in the living room, chatting aimlessly about classes and excitement.

"So what do you think Mum's so happy about this morning? She's acting kinda weird," Lily commented to James after a while.

"Yeah, what's up? Aunt Gin and Mum have been up there talking for a while now and they've got a Unperturbable Charm on the door so that we can't use Extendable Ears," Seth said, kicking his feet up onto Lily's lap; his cousin glared at him and he immediately shifted positions. "Jeez. You and Rose are much too alike for your own good. You're almost as bad as Aunt Gin and Mum," he said and the three boys looked at each other and shivered. Rose cracked a secret smile with Lily.

"I don't know," Lily said at first. "For a while, I thought it was something to do with their work, but I don't know anymore. Mum wouldn't be so happy about something to do with _work_. Right?"

"I have an idea, but I doubt I'm right," Rose said before whispering in Lily's ear. The three boys groaned as Lily grinned and nodded.

"'Secrets, secrets are no fun…unless you share with everyone,'" quoted Seth. "Come on, guys, what's going through those quick and brilliant brains of yours?"

Lily shook her head. "Flattery isn't gonna get you anywhere in this case. It's a girl thing."

"You've got to be kidding me," Albus groaned.

"What?" Ginny said from behind the couch, hands on your hips. "What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"None!" Seth exclaimed quickly, looking to James for help.

"Lily and Rose have a secret and Albus and Seth are trying to flatter it out of them, but they're nearly as bad as you and Aunt Mione when it comes to keeping secrets. They won't tell for the life of them," James explained, eyes closed. He opened them with his next comment. "When is Teddy coming over? Is he still at the Shell Cottage?"

"He's at the Shell Cottage!" Ginny exclaimed despairingly. "Why on earth would he be visiting Victoire at this hour of the morning? They're supposed to be here in two minutes!"

"Charlie is staying over at Shell with Bill. Teddy was over there because he wanted to talk to Charlie about possibly getting an internship. Victoire's complaining to her mother in rapid French right about now because she wants to go with Teddy to Romania this summer and she'll give Teddy the lesson of a lifetime once she talks to him because he's already trying to find the internship without talking to her first."

"I'll never understand girls," Albus sighed.

"I thought Victoire wanted to go with him to Romania though?" Seth asked.

"Yeah, but Victoire thinks dragon-taming is too dangerous. She knows it's what he loves so she's going to support him but she's scared to death for him. Did you know Charlie got hurt two weeks back and that's why he's at Uncle Bill's now?" Lily asked.

"You lot talking about us?" Teddy said, coming in with Victoire's hand in his and Charlie, Fleur, and Bill behind them.

"'Course not," Hermione said, gesturing them in and winking at Fleur who shook her head.

"Fleur, I got news! Victoire, you two!" Ginny smiled and waved them over, whispering in their ears. Victoire grinned and Fleur squealed, hugging Ginny tightly. Everyone except Hermione looked completely confused, but then Rose and Lily looked at each other and whooped.

"Told you so," Rose said.

"I agreed," Lily complained.

"Will you two tell us already?" Albus grumbled.

"Nope," Lily said, her lips popping on the "p." Charlie cracked a smile at the lot.

"What'd we miss?" Ron questioned, coming in the door and grabbing an apple off the kitchen counter. Harry was right behind him, a new cup of coffee in hand.

Ginny just smiled at him, but refused to disclose any information.

Ninety minutes later found the group nearly doubled as Percy, Mandy (Percy's wife), Angelie (their daughter), Paige (Charlie's girlfriend), George, Angelina (George's wife), Fred, Dora, and Jocelyn (their children), Melanie (Fred and Katie Bell's daughter and George's adopted daughter), Felicity (Fleur and Bill's second daughter), Molly, Arthur, and Sadie (Paige's daughter) joined the group.

Luna, Rolf, Hannah, and Neville joined the group with their children, Stella, Jacob, Susan, and Colin.

The majority of the group went through first, but James held back until the end with Lily, Rose, Seth, and Albus. The girls went through, then the two marauders, and finally James. They quickly found that they were there quite early, unusual for the large group. James walked around for a while, having no desire to make aimless chatter with those he had already talked to and being extremely curious as to whom else was on the platform.

He turned around and an unusual sight caught his interest and his eyes widened. There, leaning against one of the pillars of Platform Nine and Three Quarters, was the most beautiful and heartbroken girl James had ever seen.

The girl's eyes were closed as she relaxed into the pillar. There were no adults nearby, but she almost looked relieved for that fact. There was a peculiar little invention in her hand that James suddenly recognized as an iPod. Her red curls were draped over her shoulder and back, her sides pulled back from her face. She wore a pair of slightly ratty old jeans with a long-sleeved navy sweater and a white tank top underneath as well as old, white trainers. She had a small cross necklace around her neck with a small wedding ring on the chain as well and a tiny, old charm bracelet around her wrist. Her skin was slightly tan and freckles darted across her cheeks and nose. She was a little on the shorter side, definitely at least two inches shorter than James, her rosy pink lips were pulled into a small, but strained, smile.

A fourth year textbook was propped open on her lap, but it was almost closed since it was caught between her knees and her trunk. A small puppy was curled up at her feet. It looked to be a little over a year old and was a light brown, black, and white beagle that looked downright tuckered out.

As James approached her quietly and carefully, Ginny watched him, patting her husband's shoulder to get his attention. Harry looked at his wife in surprise. James was usually slightly quiet and shy when it came to strangers and he did not make friends as easily as their other two children. The Potters watched with interest as their eldest son approached the broken redhead and smiled at him softly before their attention returned to young Dora Weasley, who was desperately trying to catch their attention.

James let his protective instincts for the poor girl take over as he approached her and let all his common sense fly out the window. Softly, he touched her shoulder and the girl's eyes immediately opened in response. She flinched for a second, but after a second seemed to lean into his touch a little bit.

"Hi," James said and the girl looked up to him in surprise. "I'm James Potter. What's your name?"

She looked at him curiously before a soft, musical voice whispered out, "Annabeth Woods."

James was surprised to hear the Southern American accent that sang out and he smiled at her. "How long have you been here?" he questioned. "My family and I are still a little bit early but I figured you probably wanted to wake up this way instead of by someone trampling on you as the platform got busier," James said honestly. The girl gave no answer and he shifted slightly uncomfortably. "Never mind. Sorry for disturbing you," he said, starting to turn away, but Annabeth wanted none of that.

"No!" she protested, her small hand placed on his arm as he turned to leave and his head snapped back in surprise. She looked down a little bit. "I didn't mean to be rude; I was jus' surprised. Not many people like to talk to me," she explained, slightly apologetic. "My…father dropped me off around nine thirty last night. He kinda wanted me out of the house last night. I stayed in the…Leaky Cauldron, I think, last night and came here early this mornin' because I didn't really like the crowds of people in Diagon Alley. I guess I fell asleep. Thanks for waking me up," she said with gratitude. James smiled at her. "You can sit down," she said. "I mean," she looked at her iPod. "I think we've still got about a half hour before the train leaves."

James complied, sitting down next to her and looking at the puppy curiously as it nudged him with its nose. Annabeth noticed his curiosity and spoke up.

"This is Angel. She's my beagle. I asked Headmistress McGonagall if I could bring her with me this year as long as I took care of her and she agreed. She wants you to pet her," Annabeth said. James looked hesitant. "Don't worry. She won't bite. She likes you." Annabeth smiled a little as James ran his fingers through the soft hair on the top of Angel's head and Angel curled up on Annabeth's lap with her head on James's lap. "See?"

"She's soft," commented James and Annabeth nodded. "So where are you from? I'm guessing somewhere in Southern America, based on your accent, but I don't know exactly where…"

"You're good," Annabeth commented. "I'm from Houston, Texas. What about you? How far from London do you live?"

"I live about ten miles outside of St. Ottery Catchpole, a wizarding village. That's where my grandparents live."

"Do you get to visit them often?" Annabeth questioned quietly.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Grandmum Molly and Granddad Arthur are awesome. Grandmum is the best cook ever and Granddad's obsessed with Muggles. He'd love to tinker around with that iPod you have."

"You're really lucky," Annabeth said.

"Yeah, I am."

"So is that your family over there?" she asked, gesturing to the whole motley crew that was still trying desperately to organize everything and make sure everyone was on the train.

"Yep. That's my grandparents right there actually. And there's Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur. Aunt Fleur's French and has an infamous temper 'cuz she's part Veela. Bill works with the goblins at Gringotts. He's a curse-breaker. That's their daughter right there, next to Teddy, my father's godson and my surrogate older brother. Her name's Victoire and she and Teddy are together. Teddy wants to ask her to marry him as soon as he graduates at the end of this year and gets enough money to buy a house. Next to them is Felicity, Victoire's little sister. She's still too young to go to Hogwarts, but she loves coming to wish her sister a goodbye. Then there's Uncle Percy and Aunt Mandy with their daughter, Angelie. Uncle Percy works is an Unspeakable like my mum and my aunt and Mandy is a healer, a magical doctor. Angelie's a fourth year. That's Uncle Charlie there with his girlfriend, Paige, and Paige's daughter, Sadie. Charlie works with dragons in Romania, but he got hurt about two weeks back and they sent him back home to heal. Paige is a Healer. Sadie gets to go to Hogwarts next year. There's Uncle George and Aunt Lina. Uncle George and Uncle Fred opened a wizarding joke shop in Diagon Alley when they were seventeen…"

"Wait," Annabeth interrupted quietly, but James easily caught it. He wasn't likely to miss that musical voice. "Aren't you supposed to be at Hogwarts still when you're seventeen?"

"Yeah, but there was this Ministry official named Dolores Umbridge who took over Hogwarts for a few months and it was apparently really bad. She tortured people…she even turned out to be a Death Eater in the end! Long story short, Uncle Fred and Uncle George ran away and opened up the shop in Diagon Alley instead of finishing their education. They took their N.E.W.T.s during my dad's sixth year. Uncle Fred died in the Final Battle…Uncle Percy was there. The family has never fully recovered. He died laughing though, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been…anyways, Aunt Lina was on the Quidditch team with the twins and Dad and Mum and Uncle Ron. She helped out Uncle George with quite a few of his pranks in school and later volunteered in the joke shop after her parents died in the war. Uncle George comforted her then and she comforted him when Uncle Fred died. That's their kids, Fred, Dora, and Jocelyn. None of them go to Hogwarts yet. That's Melanie, Uncle George's niece. Katie Bell was her mother and Fred was her father. Aunt Katie killed herself about two years after Uncle Fred's death because she couldn't handle the grief. She wrote a note to Uncle George and Aunt Lina and him adopted her. She's a seventh year. Then there's Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. They've been my dad's best friends since his first year. They're the other two of the Golden Trio. Aunt Mione works in the Department of Mysteries with Mum and Uncle Percy as an Unspeakable. Uncle Ron is Deputy Chief of the Auror Corps and he used to be Keeper for the Chudley Cannons. He was their star player for quite a while and the reason they're no longer at the bottom of the league."

"League for what?"

"Quidditch, of course," James responded. "Anyways, those are my cousins, Rose and Seth. Seth's first name is really Hugo, but despite Uncle Ron's complaints, he hates the name so we all call him by his middle name. They're twins and they're starting Hogwarts with us this year."

"You sound really close to them," commented Annabeth. James grinned and nodded.

"Yeah. We've grown up together. There's hardly ever a day we _don't_ see each other and if we don't…we usually use Wizard Wiz Network to talk for a bit. Over there are my brother and sister. We're triplets. Her name's Lily and that's Albus. They're the best brother and sister I could ever ask for. Lily's really smart and extremely protective. She reminds me of my mum. She's also got a temper that rivals Grandmum Molly's so don't ever get her mad. Rose is the same way. Seth and Albus test their boundaries all the time and let me tell you…they almost come out looking worse for wear. Albus and Seth are this generation's marauders. They're pranks are unbelievable! I've laughed so much, even when I'm on the _end_ of the prank. Those mischievous brains of theirs have something wrong with them, I swear. Al has this…charisma, per se, that makes everyone gravitate towards him. My brother's got more friends than I've got time to say them. And there's my Mum and Dad, talking to Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. Like I said, Mum's an Unspeakable now, but she used to be Captain and Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, top of the league and everything. Dad is…well, you probably know Dad," James said, slightly abashed.

"Sorry, but no. I've heard a little bit about him from the books, but my Dad doesn't like magic too much so I don't really know anything about the happenings of the magical world. He was the Boy-Who-Lived, right? And he defeated Riddle, the worst Dark Lord come to pass?"

James suddenly looked up and saw everyone going onto the train. "Hang on a second. We should probably get on the train. Share a compartment with me? I'll try to explain as much as I can about the Wizarding World," James grinned at her, pleading with his eyes. Annabeth smiled and nodded. James stood up and offered his hand to her, which she readily accepted as he helped her up off the ground.

Annabeth picked up her puppy, which automatically burrowed herself into the crook of her owner's arm, and rolled her trunk towards the train, where James was already waiting for her.

"Hey, Dad! Can you give me a hand?" James asked Harry, gesturing to both trunks. Harry immediately came over. "Annabeth, this is my Dad. Dad, this is Annabeth Woods. She's a first year from Texas in the States."

"Hello, sir." Annabeth shrunk a little as she greeted the Chosen One. Harry frowned at her obvious submissive posture and extreme politeness.

"Hello, little one," he said, looking at her speculatively. As Head of the Auror Corps, he'd done his fair share of interrogation and he knew body posture quite well. There was something wrong about this girl…not that she was bad, more like she'd been through some kind of severe trauma.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of her eyes and froze. That look in her eyes…it was one he'd only seen in the war survivors. They were…dull, lifeless. It was as if there was no light left in the world, no love in her life, no one to support her, and depression and misery took love and support's place. Harry was shocked to see the look in a girl so _young_.

James glanced at his father in confusion. It was obvious his dad was thinking rather hard about something and was eyeing Annabeth warily, but James saw no reason to be cautious of the girl. She seemed perfectly all right to him, if a little quiet and slightly insecure.

"Gin! Come over to say goodbye! You can talk to Mione about work later!"

Ginny glared at her husband. "Thank you very much, Harry, but I know perfectly well that my children are about to leave and Hermione and I were simply commenting about how much we would miss them," she said, irritated, before pulling Lily, who was just approaching, into a hug and smiling softly.

Goodbyes went all the way around as Annabeth stood there, slightly uncomfortably. Ginny had obviously noticed that she hadn't a parent to tell her goodbye and hugged the little girl who responded, hesitantly, by placing her arms around the kind woman. Harry smiled at the girl who nodded back.

"Get on the train now. It leaves in three minutes and you don't want it to leave without you," commented Ginny, smiling at her children brightly. "Write us as soon as you wake up tomorrow. We won't expect letters tonight though; you'll be much too busy. We love you and stay safe." The two parents kissed their children goodbye and Annabeth looked at them longingly. No one but Harry noticed.

"Mum," Annabeth heard Seth complain as James's Aunt Hermione ruffled his hair. Hermione Weasley nee Granger laughed and Anna looked at her. Hermione reminded her so much of the few memories she had of her ma…before she…before he…never mind.

Annabeth snuck into a compartment quietly as she noticed the triplets' reluctance to leave their parents. They had no idea how lucky they were. She felt as if she was prying into their lives…but she really couldn't help herself. She'd always longed for a mother's love, but she knew it was never to be.

For five more minutes, she waited for James, wondering what on earth possessed her to open up to him. How could she have possibly thought it was safe to trust him? She, above all else, knew that it was never safe to trust _anybody_. They would just as easily turn their back on you as help you. Even your own family was not hidden from the darkness.

Meanwhile, James definitely noticed Annabeth's quiet disappearance. It felt as though the warmth in his soul had suddenly disappeared when she left. He was at a loss.

"James? Watch out for her," his father said to him.

"Huh?"

"Annabeth. I have a feeling she's been through a lot. Watch out for her."

_I don't need _you _to tell me _that_, Dad_, James thought to himself. "Sure thing, Dad. I'll write to you tomorrow!" he parted with his family, jumping on the train, eager to get back to Annabeth and finish talking with her.

He poked his head into a few compartments, but quickly found her in an empty one, only a few from the entrance to the train. She was staring out the window, staring at all the parting families with something akin to longing, but she still seemed almost resigned. He quietly opened the door to the compartment and swung his trunk up onto the rack above them, but Annabeth was far too distracted to even notice.

"Anna?" James questioned quietly, bringing her out of her pondering.

Her head snapped toward his voice and she smiled a little bit at him. "So? Are you going to tell me about the Wizarding World or what?" she questioned with a slight smirk.

REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! - Athena


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